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Five Fresno and Tulare county residents are among 37 defendants accused of taking part in a nationwide marijuana and cigarette trafficking ring, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday in New York.
The defendants are accused of conspiring to produce and distribute more than $45 million worth of marijuana and of illegally distributing nearly 44 million cigarettes, resulting in more than $7 million in lost tax revenue, prosecutors said.
The Valley defendants -- age 29 to 56 -- allegedly were involved in growing the marijuana, prosecutors said.
In October, law-enforcement officers seized more than 200 pounds of processed marijuana and about 185 marijuana plants near Porterville.
